Decline of American Empire Book?

[Keebler Elf]

There was a book written, IIRC, about 7-10 years back about the decline of empires throughout history. It talked about the British empire, the Roman empire, and the American empire, and how there appeared to be a "normal" limit of approx 250 years for an empire to exist before it falls apart.

I'm trying to find the title of the book as I never got a chance to read it. I believe the author had a hindu/pakistani-type name, but I'm not 100% certain.

Anyone know the book I'm talking about?

 

[BiggieE]

....hmmm...then how does it explain the Romans dominating the known world for over a thousand years?....

 

[Asterix]

Likely not the particular book you're looking for, but "The Rise and Decline of Nations" by Mancur Olsen is also an excellent read.

 

[canucklehead]

I know the book you mean but i believe the 250 year theory was being pushed by someone else but it does discuss the social changes in everyday life as a barometer for predicting the decline.
i may have it let me look through my books i have moved to storage or to my studio.

 

[Ranger68]

....hmmm...then how does it explain the Romans dominating the known world for over a thousand years?....

"Over a thousand years"??
Uh, not quite.
The Roman Empire wasn't much of an "empire" until about the time of Julius Caesar - who died in 44 BC - when they effectively conquered the Gauls.
It was done within 500 years, and *effectively* LONG before that.

 

[anon1]

Let's not forget that the rate of change is increasing.
The Romans lasted 500-1000 years (for the sake of argument)
The British lasted 200-300 years (or so).
The Americans will be less. Pearl Harbor and 9/11 can be seen as the bookends of the American world dominance.

 

[Ranger68]

Pearl Harbour and 9/11?
The Americans were a dominant world power before WWII, and will continue to be so for *some* time, even if not another hundred years.
And, actually, I think the time frames of the dominance of the British and Roman Empires are much more comparable - both on the order of 400 years or so.

 

[Cinema Face]

I agree that it would be foolish to think that the US empire or any empire for that matter will last forever. There will eventually be a decline and it will be replaced by another empire as the dominant world power.

However, I don’t see the US declining as a world power anytime soon. 911 has not significantly diminished the US. In fact, it has actually put the US on a war footing and made them more imperialistic. The US is quietly revolutionizing their military. If anything, they’re more powerful than before.

There is currently no other nation that could rival the US. It will likely take at least an entire generation for another country to possibly become a worthy rival to the US. Who might that nation be? China is the only possibility that I can think of that might someday match the US in economic and military power. They have a large number of domestic problems to overcome before that happens.

 

[Keebler Elf]

Military power has nothing to do with it. All the great empires were militarily strong.

It's all about power and prestige. Once you lose it, the slide begins...

But anyhoo, thanks for the tips but I don't think either of them is the one I'm thinking of. I'm almost 100% certain it was a pakistani/indian author, b/c I can remember the interview with the author and I recall it being a strange name (at least, to me).

I don't think the book had a heavy emphasis on economics or the military. From what I recall, it was more of a socio-historic look at history's great nations and how they all seem to have lasted a predictably similar length of time. The book was controversial b/c that period of time for the US is almost up.

I'll keep hunting for it.

 

[Sargon]

Could it be:


The American Effect : Global Perspectives on the United States, 1990-2003 by Lawrence Rinder, Tariq Ali ?

 

[Keebler Elf]

No, too recent. And it wasn't US specific.

 

[red]

How Lies and the the lying Liars who tell them by al franken

 

[jano]

The US will fall and when it does it will be a lot quicker than many of us expect. The seeds of US collapse has already been sown. Their unsustainable national debt, the treasury-draining Iraq war plus the certainty of another devastating terror attack on the mainland are just some examples.

When it does fall the results will not be pretty for the whole world. The last century showed how change can proceed at an unprecedented and unexpected pace. The collapse of the iron curtain of communism is an example. This century will not be different the pace of change in the affairs of nations will be even quicker.